Tom Horne, who is releasing his 10-page finding today, says the classes violate the law aimed at programs designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group "and it's got to stop."

If school officials refuse, Horne says, they should lose 10% of their state funding, as allowed under the law.

Tucson school district officials plan to appeal the findings, the newspaper says.

The new law prohibits classes aimed at certain ethnic groups, as well as classes that advocate overthrow of the U.S. government, promote resentment toward a race or class or people, or advocate ethnicsolidarity.

Horne notes that the percentage of Latinos enrolled is greater than the overall percentage of Latino students in schools that offer the classes, the newspaper says.

That and an explanation of the program's goal of "increased academic achievement for Latino students" are enough to violate thelaw, he says.

Tucson School Superintendent John Pedicone says the course covers injustice and oppression committed against Mexicans, just as African-American history includes slavery.

He says internal studies indicate that students who took the program were more than twice as likely to graduate and three times as likely to go on to college.

Horne disputes the studies' methodology and maintains that the classes provoke racism, encourage students to see themselves as oppressed and foment anti-social behavior, the Republic reports.

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About Doug Stanglin

Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug

About Michael Winter

Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.